Olga Arellano preparing chilaquiles: Un sabor de México

When I arrived at Olga Arellano’s house it was full of good smells. This is because she is in high demand throughout the Harrisburg region as a master cake maker. The pans of light, fluffy cakes surrounded us as we moved into her kitchen area. She apologized, but just that morning a large order had come in so she had been working all afternoon to get the cakes done. She had a break now, though, before she needed to start frosting so I got out my camera as she began to tell me about some traditional Mexican foods.

The food of Mexico is as varied as its many states and peoples. There are dishes influenced by the indigenous foods, others by Spanish and European styles, and much is a mixture of each of these with its own unique ingredients and flavors influenced by the produce grown locally. The dish that Ms. Arellano prepared for me was chilaquiles. Not something that I was familiar with, she explained that this was one of her favorite foods—and one of the most common—growing up in Mexico. The name chilaquiles is derived from the word chil-a-quilitl which means "herbs or greens in chili broth" in Nahuatl. This is often a common breakfast dish and can also be made with eggs.

As we finished eating the chilaquiles, Olga Arellano went to the refrigerator and brought out a dessert called pastel de tres leches, or the “three milk cake.” There are many Latin American countries that claim pastel de tres leches to be their own national food, but its origin is unknown. Recipes for the cake date back to the 1800s, and Olga told me that she learned the recipe from her mother. In Mexico it is often served for special occasions such as a birthday party or wedding.

Pastel de tres leches is a sweet cake soaked in a milk mixture made of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk (or cream). While it sounds like this would make the cake too moist or heavy, in fact it was a light combination, and served with cinnamon, I found this favorite dessert of Mexico to be very delicious and refreshing.

Make pastel de tres leches:

• After making any yellow cake (or buying one at the store), combine the three milks (use 12 oz of each) in a bowl.
• After placing the cake in a shallow pan or plate with a ridge (just in case the milk spills some), slowly pour the milk mixture over the entire cake to completely soak it.
• Let the cake sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Serve with a whipped cream frosting and your favorite fruit.